Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 42171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 42171 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 211(@200wpm)___ 169(@250wpm)___ 141(@300wpm)
“How long ago was that?”
I try to calculate in my head. “Uh, well, Beau is twenty-eight, so I guess around ten years ago.”
She nods and continues to talk as she continues to work. “Have you ever wanted to leave?”
I guess I’m quiet for too long because she turns to look at me. There’s no hiding the discomfort on my face. This is not something I ever talk about, and I sure as hell didn’t expect to be talking about it today.
When I say nothing, she shakes her head. “Forget it. It’s none of my business. Sorry for being nosy.”
“No, it’s okay.” I take a deep breath and let it out. “I uh, I just never really talk about it, but it was a long time ago.” There’s a part of me that can’t believe I’m doing this and then there’s another part of me that wants her to know. “I uh, was married.”
She stops working and turns to look at me. The only way I can describe it is pure jealousy on her face. That’s what keeps me talking. “It was good while it was good, but it wasn’t good long, if that makes sense.”
She walks over to me. “What happened?”
“Uh, it wasn’t really one thing. There were a lot of little things, but what turned it all around was after one bad winter. We uh, well, the orchard barely survived it. Janet, she’s my ex, wasn’t ready for that kind of life. She didn’t want to sacrifice fashion, traveling, or anything really. Her family had money. I thought she understood what kind of life the orchard would afford us, but in the end, she wanted a certain kind of life, and I couldn’t give it to her.”
I pause, remembering all the fights and how I felt when I couldn’t make my wife happy. “She wanted me to sell.”
Madelyn slaps her hand on her hip. “The Wild Peach? She wanted you to sell the orchard? Your family’s farm?”
“Yeah, she wanted me to sell and for me and her to move to the city. I couldn’t do it.” I shake my head. “Don’t get me wrong. I considered it, but I knew I couldn’t do it. My family needed this place… hell, they still do. I couldn’t just…”
Madelyn holds her hand up and presses it to the side of my face. I’ve been looking off in the distance, partly ashamed of my past, and she pulls me down until my eyes are on her. “I get it. She should have gotten it too. I may have only met one of your brothers, but it’s obvious what your family and this orchard means to you. She shouldn’t have asked you to choose.”
As I search Madelyn’s blue eyes, I can’t help but wonder if history is repeating itself. I’m a fool to get involved with her because in some ways, she’s just like Janet. She’s rich, she’s talked about traveling, and she’s young. She probably has no desire to settle down anytime soon. This will probably lead to nowhere, and one or both of us will end up hurt, but there are parts of me that knows Madelyn is nothing like my ex-wife. And that freaks me out too.
“It actually worked out. Janet is remarried and living in the city. Last I heard, she had a kid too.”
Madelyn tilts her head to the side. “And you have the Wild Peach?”
I nod, even though for the first time ever, I’ve wondered if it’s enough. All this time, the orchard, my family and my brothers have been my priority. One night with Madelyn and I want more. But I don’t say that. I just answer her with “Yeah, I have the Wild Peach.”
She leans her body against mine, pressing her breasts against me. “What are you thinking about right now?”
I look down to where our bodies are touching. “You probably don’t want to know.”
She giggles and slides her hands up around my neck. “I can handle it. Tell me.”
I lean down and capture her lips with my own. I’m not sure what it is, but if she’s close, I want to touch and kiss her. “I want to fuck you against a peach tree.”
She gasps, but the way her eyes light up tells me she wants it too. “What about the others?”
I nip at her ear. “Nope, I don’t want them… just you.”
“Har har,” she says. “I mean, I really don’t want everyone I work with to see my bare ass.”
I pull back. “Honey, if you think I’m going to let anyone see you like that, you’re mistaken. I wouldn’t let that happen.”
She looks around again. “But…”
I pull her chin up to look at me. “Do you trust me?”
She nods her head and tells me simply, “Yes.”
I put my hands at her waist and pick her up. Instantly her legs go around my waist. I carry her down the lane in the opposite direction from where everyone is working. I stop next to the side-by-side and set her in the seat.